Angry Birds creator Rovio to start publishing third-party games

Proving once again that Rovio is determined to move far beyond the success of Angry Birds, the game development company has announced it will being publishing, distributing, and marketing third- party apps.

“Rovio Stars” is the name of Rovio’s new program, basically allowing smaller developers to utilized the experience and marketing prowess behind titles like Angry Birds and Bad Piggies. The first game to be released with the Stars program is called “Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage” made by Nitrome Ltd., following the adventure of a lone viking. Rovio has announced the next game to be released as well, a medieval adventure game made by 5 Ants called “Tiny Thief.”

“We want to help the developers to give these games that last coat of polish, publish the games and find their audience,” Rovio’s Director of Development Kalle Kaivola announced in a blog post. “We’re focusing on a small, select number of games, and each Rovio Stars launch will be an event of its own.”

The post went on to explain that Rovio plans to step in and assist developers in polishing the final game and optimizing post-production. That being said, Rovio will only accept games in either an alpha build or similar playable format. While fine tuning a nearly finished product is in Rovio’s sights, the company doesn’t seem keen on helping developers build from the ground up – and for good reason.

The program works a bit like a mentorship with experts at Rovio showing developers how to “turn their games in to blockbusters.” This includes working on PR, marketing, and publishing titles to the major app stores.

Applications are open now and can be accessed through the Rovio stars website. The application form asks for screenshots and/or video, as well as a description of the title, which must be made for mobile devices for now. This latest venture is one of a number of strategies employed by Rovio to expand beyond its beginnings, alongside cartoons, toys, merchandise, and theme parks.